


Never Grow Up

by magnusbicon



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Dad!Magnus, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Singing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, dad!Alec, that's such a wonderful tag isn't it?, this is just really cute and nice okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 11:26:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17487245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnusbicon/pseuds/magnusbicon
Summary: “Are you sure?”They looked at each other for a moment, listening to the unrelenting shrieks from between them, and nodded simultaneously.“Very well, then,” Magnus said, moving into a sitting position and clearing his throat. “Ihavebeen practicing.”





	Never Grow Up

**Author's Note:**

> Here, take this as a sincere apology for my last fic (and if you haven't read that...valid)
> 
> Now I'm gonna go read Fall Without Wings by the amazing notcrypticbutcoy because it just updated and I am screaming internally (and if you haven't read _that_ then what are you even doing?)

The streets of Brooklyn were just beginning to host a smooth blanket of fresh snow when Magnus entered the loft, his nose red from the short walk from his portal to the entrance of the building. He used to portal right into the living room, but ever since they had taken in Matilda, he had learned that loud vortexes were not ideal for baby sleeping conditions. He had to suffer through the screaming of his daughter and the less than subtle glares from his husband that night- not that he wasn’t used to at least one of those things by then. 

Tonight, the loft was silent, not even the fireplace lit and crackling with warmth. Magnus ventured further into the loft, pulling off his winter garments as he went. His scarf was discarded on an armchair, his gloves on the plush carpet, his jacket by the door of his study, but with a snap of his fingers they all transported to their rightful places before he even reached the doorway to the bedroom. He paused for a moment outside of the door, noting the obvious lack of light that usually slipped through the space under the wood. 

Alec normally waited up for him when he was out past his usual hours, but there were some nights that he was just too exhausted to keep his eyes open. Between being Head of the New York Institute and a father, he had his hands full. Just a few days after they had decided to adopt Matilda, Alec had proposed the implementation of a daycare within the Institute, much to the dismay of the less malleable Shadowhunters that resided there. He had initially received an abundance of complaints, his subordinates claiming they were soldiers, not babysitters. 

He had received more than enough support from others, though. Not all of the Shadowhunters that reported to the Institute actually lived in the building, after all. Many had their own homes to go back to at night, and many of them had kids as well. There were even a few single parents who had lost their spouses in battle and had an even harder time balancing all of their responsibilities. It had taken a while to get everyone to come around to it, but after a month it was up and running. Alec didn’t force anyone to watch over the kids if they didn’t want to, but he did encourage volunteers, and soon he was able to create a rotating schedule. 

Every morning they dropped Matilda off together, and then Magnus left for his meetings with his clients. On a light day, he would go to pick them up and leave with them as well, but it didn’t always work out that way. Tonight was one of those nights. 

Magnus sent a wave of magic over the door to make sure it didn’t creak, then opened it up and slipped inside quickly to prevent the hallway light from flooding the space for too long. He dropped his glamour as the door clicked shut, peering straight ahead to see Alec lying on his side, his eyes clearly open as they met Magnus’ own. Magnus opened his mouth, but Alec held up a finger, pointing next to him. With another step closer, Magnus realized that their daughter was sound asleep beside him, her eyes moving back and forth beneath their lids as she dreamt. 

He raised an eyebrow and glided over to the opposite side of the bed, pulling his shoes off before climbing onto the mattress as gently as possible. He mirrored Alec’s position, his body curling around Matilda’s right side. 

“I know I should’ve put her in the crib,” Alec whispered, “but I couldn’t get myself to move.” 

“She’s fine right here,” Magnus responded, reaching forward and gently sweeping the back of his fingers over their daughter’s cheek. 

He could still remember the first time they did this, both of them wrecked after a particularly grueling fight with a hoard of demons that ended with two casualties and one orphaned baby. Alec had held her in his arms so tightly, unwilling to leave her in the hands of anyone else, and they had ended up agreeing to just take her back to the loft for the night and figure things out in the morning. That night Magnus was barely able to conjure up a binky and a few other necessities, let alone a crib, so they had set her in the middle of the bed and settled on either side of her, placing pillows so that she didn’t have any way to hurt herself. 

It was when they turned the lights off and she stared up at them that they realized she was a warlock. Her eyes, which were a nice hazel color in the light of day, glowed a bright green, similar to the color of werewolves. Magnus wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but something about that moment made the wide expanse of his future click into place. It felt a lot like it did after he met Alec. Back then all it had taken was a few short conversations to have him leaning into open air that he hadn’t allowed to wash over his skin in decades, and while he had grown comfortable with the steadiness of their relationship, he knew they were ready for something new. 

He did love a challenge, after all. 

He considered the Downworlders that he took under his wing to be his children, but he never had the opportunity to raise one before, to hold their entire life in his arms and know that his actions would shape them into who they would become. It was a daunting reality, something that he had discussed with Alec at length, but they both ultimately decided that while it was a lot to take on, it was worth it. 

He looked up as Alec brushed a stray hair out of his face, taking in the fond smile that pulled at his slightly chapped lips.

“What?” Magnus asked softly, matching his smile. 

“You’re so b-”

A cry pierced through the room, and Magnus winced. Matilda didn’t often wake up once she fell asleep for the night, but when she did, it was almost impossible to get her to settle down again. Magnus was convinced she was a reincarnation of Sleeping Beauty, but instead of being relieved upon waking, she was overwhelmingly grumpy. 

She must have picked it up from Alec. 

Alec’s bottom lip jutted out in a sympathetic pout as he placed his hand on their daughter’s stomach, rubbing it gently. 

“What’s wrong, beautiful?” he asked, making a funny face as Matilda’s tear-filled eyes met his own. “I’m sorry for flirting with daddy while you were trying to sleep. I couldn’t help it. He’s just as pretty as you.” 

Magnus grinned and snapped his fingers, conjuring up an image of a butterfly fluttering through the air. Matilda’s cries paused for a moment as she watched in wonder, but she grew bored just as fast, and soon enough Magnus’ ears were ringing in pain once more. For nearly half an hour they tried everything in the book to calm her down, but nothing seemed to be working. 

“We might have to resort to Plan Z,” Alec said, his expression deadly serious. 

Magnus raised his eyebrows and looked down at their daughter, who clearly was in no mood to be comforted in any of their usual ways. They had only used Plan Z once before, and since then they vowed to use it only when it was absolutely needed. There were too many people in the Shadow World who could use it as blackmail material. 

“Are you sure?”

They looked at each other for a moment, listening to the unrelenting shrieks from between them, and nodded simultaneously. 

“Very well, then,” Magnus said, moving into a sitting position and clearing his throat. “I  _ have _ been practicing.” 

Alec followed his lead and lifted Matilda up so that she was standing with his support, then nodded, signalling that he was ready. Magnus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then began.

“The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout,” he sang, making all of the hand movements necessary to catch Matilda’s attention. “Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, and the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.” 

Alec had her do a little dance as Magnus sang, and with every repeat of the song Matilda grew quieter. Finally, on the eighth try, her eyelids began to droop and her head lulled to the side with exhaustion, and Alec gently laid her down on the bed again with a huge smile on his face that was reminiscent of the day they met. 

As soon as they were sure she was actually asleep, Alec gripped the front of Magnus’ shirt and pulled him in for a soft kiss, lingering as Magnus smiled against his lips. Magnus cupped his jaw, tilting his head to deepen it, and had to clap a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing as Alec leaned forward too far and sent him sprawling onto his back. Alec’s lips pressed into a line as he hovered over Magnus, his face flushed as he desperately held in his amusement. 

“If you wake her up again, I’m making  _ you _ sing itsy bitsy spider,” Magnus whispered, smiling widely at the narrowing of Alec’s eyes. 

Moving carefully, Alec leaned down for one more brief kiss, then retired back to his original spot on the bed, his body curved beside Matilda’s like a parenthesis. Magnus followed shortly behind on her other side, meeting his husband’s eyes for a moment before his gaze fell to their daughter, as it usually did these days. 

They both watched her for a moment as peace settled over them, and just after their fingers slid together over Matilda’s stomach, they fell asleep. 


End file.
